Jô Soares died in the early hours of this Friday (5), at the age of 84, in São Paulo. One of the greatest comedians in the country, the artist had been hospitalized since July 25, at Hospital Sírio Libanês, to treat pneumonia.
The cause of death, however, has not yet been released. The announcement of Jô’s death was made by his ex-wife, Flávia Pedra.
“Long live you, my Bitiko, Acorn, Meat, Pet, Crap, Fat. You are proud of everyone who shared life with you in some way. I thank the Lords of Time and Space, for having given me the luck to leave our lives Thank you for the asthma-inducing laughs, for our homes my way, for the trips to the fanciest and meanest places, for the amount of movies you thought I was lucky I didn’t remember to see again, and for the indecent amount of ice cream that we had while watching”, wrote Flávia, in a social network.
In his talk shows, the comedian took music every night of the week to Brazilian homes. In addition to the sextet, with Chiquinho (trumpet), Derico (saxophone and flute), Miltinho (drums), Bira (bass), Tomate (guitar) and Osmar (piano), in his last line-up, who played between the blocks of the talk show , and on some occasions he had Jô himself playing bongo, his programs received practically everyone who was important in Brazilian music. From Tom Jobim to Roberto Carlos and from Legião Urbana to Sepultura, everyone had space there.
Before establishing himself as an interviewer, Jô achieved success in television comedy shows based on sketches and characters such as “Satiricom” (1974), “Planeta dos Homens” which was shown between 1976 and early 1982. That same year he would premiere “Viva O Gordo”, one of the most remarkable programs of the decade with characters that marked the time and the first one commanded solely by him.
On Globo, the program was on air until 1987. The following year, he would surprise when he exchanged the powerful Globo for SBT after accepting a financially advantageous proposal from Silvio Santos, which also paved the way for him to fulfill an old dream: to have a program of late-night interviews along the lines of Johnny Carson’s, in the USA. Something he had already tried to do around here in the 70s, but without success.
“Veja o Gordo”, shown on Mondays, lasted only two years. “Jô Soares Onze e Meia” was on the air until 1999, becoming one of the most important programs in the history of Brazilian television. In 2000, Jô returned to Globo and continued to do interviews from Monday to Friday on “Programa do Jô”. The comedian also wrote five books, acted in 22 films and was one of the precursors of the stand-up format in Brazil.
A true jazz lover, Jô told in his biography, written in partnership with Matinas Suzuki Jr., who played, as “Joe Soares”, bongo on what is considered the first LP of the genre made in Brazil: “Em Tempo De Jazz Volume 1 “, an album that also had contributions from other musicians who made history in Brazil, such as João Donato, Paulo Moura and Luiz Eça.
This isn’t the only rare item in his short discography. Jô also recorded a single with two rocks. The record came out in 1963 and featured “Vampiro” on Side A.
Much later, in 2000, “Jô Soares e O Sexteto – Ao Vivo No Tom Brasil” would be released, featuring the comedian and the musicians from his program, playing jazz classics.
